Hitch pins of the general type described are widely used in securing farm implements to tractors, trailers to towing vehicles and in general wherever two objects are to be temporarily joined by means of a hitch. Conventionally, the hitch components are a clevis having aligned openings in its legs and a tongue having an opening drawn into registry with the clevis openings. A hitch pin is dropped through the openings and then locked against withdrawal by means of an integral locking member or by use of a spring clip or cotter-key. In farm applications and in over-the-road towing hitch pins are subject to rough usage and pins in which the locking handle extends atop the operating rod are vulnerable to damage and accidental displacement to unlocked position.
The hitch pin of the present invention overcomes these difficulties by providing a camming arrangement between a handle and the operating rod which assures that the handle is down below the upper tip or profile of the pin, and thus not vulnerable to shearing or accidental displacement when the pin is in locking condition. Improved durability results from the operating handle being attached to the body of the pin rather than to the central operating rod and the component parts of the pin assembly are easily formed and relatively simple to assemble. There are no spring clips or cotter-keys to handle, often lost or misplaced, in applying the hitch pin and a one-step simple flip of the handle to either side of the pin shank places the pin in locking condition.